Mama Got a Dress!

About a month ago my sister and I started pressuring my mom to start looking for a dress for the wedding. She argued that she wanted to lose weight, and would probably buy off the rack, and had plenty of time. We told her she didn't have to buy, but that she should just start looking. So reluctantly she began her search, first online, then in department stores, and finally at the bridal boutiques. She said the department stores had nothing she liked, (which is why we encouraged her to start looking now - in case she had to order), and she didn't like shopping alone, so with my sister in tow, they went back to the store where she had found a selection that she liked best. Coincidentally the same boutique where I found my.

I think it was a Wednesday and I was at work. Suddenly the pictures starting pouring into my inbox. I conveniently had a break so I called my sister to discuss the dresses I'd seen in the photos. Some of them were nice, others we all agreed didn't work, and there was one that as soon as I saw it I thought it fabulous! She was smiling in the photo and even though the sample was a few sizes too big, it looked great in all the right places! My sister agreed that it was gorgeous and my mom seemed to like it. She tried on a few more and then went back to our favorite. As she was trying it on that second time a patient walked in my office door and I told my sister that I had to go but would call her back shortly.

"Do you like the dress she said."

"Yup, I love it." And I hung up the phone.

Once my patient was resting, I called my sister back. She was already on her way home.

"Mom bought the dress!" she said.

She loved it and we loved it and that was all she needed. The sample she tried on was the exact color that she wanted so she was happy she didn't have to choose from those silly little color swatches that are barely the size of a thumbnail. It also has a lot of similarities to the bridesmaid dresses and my gown which we all agreed created a nice continuity to our bridal party! And since I purchased my gown at the same boutique, they gave her a small discount. Discounts are always good! She emailed me a picture later on that night, very happy about her purchase and excited for the big day!

Style 7448

The designer is Impression and it's a beautiful espresso colored iridescent taffeta with some clear beading on the neckline and at the cinch on the side. And it has a jacket so she can cover up in church. So pretty. I can't wait to see it in person!!

I'm so glad that she chose her dress. I didn't want her scrambling to find something and ending up with a dress that she didn't love but settled for. This one is actually quite different from what we all had envisioned for her, but it works and we love it so another happy success and she will be BEA-U-TI-FUL on my wedding day!

We're almost done with our adventures in dress shopping. The only lady left is my future mother-in-law. I think she got a little bit of the bug after hearing about my mom's success. Hopefully we can shop a little in June when we're visiting!

Still have to show the bridesmaid dresses. I'm going to wait on that post a little bit longer. ;)

Together for Life

This weekend Mr. DC and I participated in a marriage preparation retreat. Marriage prep is required by the Catholic faith in order to get married in the church and receive the sacrament of Matrimony. We had the choice of weekly meetings in the evenings or this two-day intensive. We couldn't decide so we flipped a coin and the weekend won!

Bright and early Saturday morning we woke up and headed over. Sign in was at 8:30. They served coffee and bagels and everyone brought snacks to share. There were about 18 couples, most of them around our age. We shared with the group how we met and when we were to marry. The leaders of the group were a couple married 37 years and they were very open and honest as they shared with us lots of stories from their own married life, their struggles, their joys, their compromises and what they still have to work on. They presented topics which we answered questions about privately on paper and then shared with our future spouse. While the guy and I had covered most of the topics, it was good to have the opportunity to delve a little deeper, especially with the tougher, more emotional ones.

Day 2 went pretty much the same way. On this day there was a younger couple married only 6 years who had three children and one on the way. They came from different cultures and shared a lot about their differences and how they resolve conflicts. They also talked about sacrifices and child rearing. Again, the topics were ones we have addressed before but it was great to revisit them with an open heart.

There was also a single man who came to share information with us about love and the church and the sacrament we will soon receive. He spoke about it with such grace and gladness. We really began to understand the awesome commitment we have agreed to make!

At the end of the weekend we were quite exhausted and had really nothing left to say to each other accept "thank you for being so open and honest" and "I'm so much more looking forward to marrying you." We went into the experience with an open mind and got out of it even more than we had expected. We wondered and hoped that our friends or family who went through similar preparation classes had as powerful and fulfilling experiences as we did. We also remarked at how glad we were to have made the choice to marry in the church and be presented with the opportunity to go on this retreat. We were so grateful for those that volunteered their time to come and speak with us and we thanked them as we left.

The final question of the weekend was "do you think you should still marry this person?" to which we both answered with a resounding YES! and we also wrote love letters to each other which we read in private. Love letters are always nice!

I wish there were opportunities like this for everyone to enjoy, not just those of a certain faith. They did say that all denominations are welcome but I can understand that the heavy Christian undertones might make some feel uncomfortable. I would encourage others to seek out some similar weekends before you walk down the isle. I can't say enough that it really was an amazing experience for us both and I know it has enriched our relationship.

Only 199 days to go! Can't wait!

Please Vote for Us!

A little non-wedding related topic at hand. My acupuncture clinic is gunning for number 1 in the East Bay for the ABC7 A list. It's a close race and every vote counts. Please click this link and VOTE Earth and Air Wellness!!

Thanks so much! Better business helps me have a bigger and better wedding!!

Return to Sender

Got two Save the dates back in the mail yesterday.

One was sent to the wrong street address. It was actually the address of another friend. I don't know how I managed that one. The other we put the wrong street number. Only off by two! Oh well. No big deal. $.88 cents and a couple envelopes and return addresses lost. I'm pretty sure we have a few extras of everything. The good part is that both were addresses that don't exist so someone else didn't receive them instead of our guests. I hope everyone else received theirs. We got a few texts and even a Happy Engagement card in reply. So sweet.  

Only 223 days to go!!

...and I may have already found my shoes for only 5 bucks! How's that for a bargain bride? More to come on the shoes. Today we're off to wine country!!